I feel some degree of guilt in not being able to acknowledge everyone I consulted in the process of writing this book, but they all have my deep thanks. However I could not omit mentioning the three wonderfully professional women in my life—my wife (and creative partner) Kathy, my literary agent Carole Blake, and my editor Jackie Swift. Between them, they contrive to keep the hassles of the modern world at bay, allowing me to give full rein to my creative juices, ready for the next adventure . . .
Julian Stockwin was sent at the age of fourteen to TS Indefatigable, a tough sea-training school. He joined the British Navy at fifteen, transferred to the Australian Navy when his family emigrated there, and saw active service in Vietnam. He became a teacher and an educational psychologist. Later he was commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve and was awarded the MBE. Retired from the RNR with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he now lives in Devon, England. Visit him on the web at www.julianstockwin.com.
McBooks Press, Inc. Ithaca, New York
www.mcbooks.com
PRAISE FOR JULIAN STOCKWIN'S KYDD SERIES
"Stockwin's richly detailed . . . portrait of life on ship and shore in Britain's oceanic empire is engrossing. He writes evocatively of shipboard routine, the panic and confusion of combat, and the terrifying approach of a storm at sea, and he knows how to stage enthralling action."
—Publishers Weekly
"Likable Tom and his shipmates make a snug fit in that page-turning Forester and O'Brian tradition—thanks to retired Royal Navy author Stockwin."
—Kirkus Reviews
"The vantage point of the common sailor gives the nautical novel a fresh twist. In Stockwin's hands . . . the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world."
—The Guardian
"I was soon turning over the pages almost indecently fast . . . Roll on, the promised adventures of Kydd and Renzi."
—Independent
"The appeal of the story is in the telling, which is atmospheric, authentic and disclosed from the unusual perspective of the ordinary sailor working his way up the ranks . . . the author — had a long career in the Royal Navy, which adds to his prose that extra dash of salty realism."
—Publishing News